Belt tightener and coupler



W. E, HORNER BELT TIGHTENER AND COUPLER June 8 1926. 1,588,368

` Filed July 20, i925 iNvENTok Ess Y z 2 i, Q f1.7 Eorjzer,

'J7/Z7 m 522;.

ATTORNEYS Patented June 8, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BELT4 TIGHTENER AND coUrLER.

Application filed July 20, 1925. Serial No. 44,819.

My invention is a belt tightener and cou pler, and it consists in the combinations, constructionsvand arrangements herein described and Claimed.

An objectA or" the invention is the provision of a simple, reliable and easily operable device which will afford facilities Vfor drawing t-he ends of a belt toward each other while the belt is trained about pulleys to tighten the belt as desired and which also will afford facilities for coupling the end portions oi a belt to iirmly hold the belt taut after the tightening means of the device has been detached from the belt.

A still further object of the invention is the provision in a device of the character described of an improved means for coupling the ends of a belt so that the belt will be kept desirably taut without any projecting elements being placed on the inner side of' the belt or in position to Contact with a pulley on which the belt may travel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view showing in full lines the tightening means of the device` and Vshowing in dotted lines the coupling means of the device and a belt to whi-ch the de-y vice is applied.

Figure 2 is a section substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is .an end elevation of one of the units of the tightening means of the den vice, showing in transverse vertical section a belt with which said tightening unit is engaged. Y.

' Figure 4 is a perspective view of the base section of the tightening unit exhibited in Figure 3. 1 VFigure 5 is a perspective view of the coupler which is comprised in the device, showing the holding' member oit the coupler raised from active position and showing in dash lines the ends of a belt in position to be coupled together by means of said couler. I) The improved belt tightener and coupler comprises a pair of tightening units, generally indicated at 1 and .2 respectively; Each of these tightening units Vincludes a belt gripping member or clamp which comvp prises a base plate having avpair of upturned side members 4 which aretormedvto produce lateral slots at thenller sides of the full length of the side members 4 and vterminate at their bottoms flush with the upper tace of the base plate 3, lwhich is smooth and plane Each slot 5 is enlarged upwardly for part of its width from its outer side, as indicated at 6. The top wall ot this vertically enlarged portion 6 oit the slot 5 is inclined 'from one end thereotl to its opposite end and constitutes a cam surface for a purpose to be presently stated. The top wall of the remainder ofthe slot 5' also may be inclined in the same direction and is so shown (seevFig. 2). f

The base plate 3 may be prolonged in# termediate the side members 4 at the v end oi. the base plate which is proximate to the highest portions of the slots 5. The upper face of such prolongation, which is indicated at 7, lies in the same plane asv the upper4 face of the'remainder of the base plate. V

` The base plate 3 together with the prolongation 7 and the side members i comprise the lower section ofl a belt gripping member or clamp. The upperfsection of the belt gripping member or clamp comprises a Vclamping plate or bar 8 having a length but slightly less than the 'distance GIO between the side walls of the slots 5, where by this clamping bar 8 is adapted to be slid latwise closey to the base plate 3 ofthe same belt gripping member with the` end portions of the clamping barv 8 disposed in Vthe slots 5 and with the end walls of the clamping bar 8 in sliding contact'with the p side walls of the slots 5; f v

The clamping bar 8 has transversely eX- tending cam members 9 on the opposite end portions thereof adapted to move in the enlarged portions 6 of the slots 5 over the lower section of the belt gripping member, the upper surfaces of the cam members 9'being inclinedvfrom end to end in the same manner as the top wallsof the vertically en larged portions 6 of the slot 5. Each bar 8 is formed with a longitudinally extending rib 10 which not only is adapted to serve as a handle, whereby the upper section of each belt gripping member can be conveniently manipulated but also serves to reinforce and stiiien lthe bar 8. The clamping bar 8 is rovided with vlongitudinally extending teeth 11 asbest seen in Figure 2.

It twill be manifest-that when the clampinsbe? 8 e? ech bal@ serving member 1S.

moved tlatrwise` between the side meinbersl ot the associated lower section of the same belt* gripping member with the upper faces ot the cam members 9 in slidingcontact with the upper walls of the enlarged portion 6 ot the slot 5, the clamping bar 8 .will be moved downward toward the associated Vbase plate 3 when the clamping bar is `moved in one direction across the base plate and the clamping bar 8 will be moved away from the base plate 3 when the clamping bar 3 is moved in the opposite direction across the base plate 3.

A bracket 12 is secured against the lower face of the base plate 3 oi the tightening unit V1 by means of a bolt and nut,` such as indicated at 13, the head of the bolt being l countersunk in the upper 'face ot the base plate 3. The bracket 12 has an arm 11i which is spaced from the lower 'face oit the base plate 3 so that a space is provided between the arm 1li and the'base plate 3 for the recept-ion of Aapulley 15. Bracket 12 also has a-second arm, indicated at 16, which is spaced from the arm 14 so that a space is provided between the yarms 111-16 for a second pulley, indicated at 17. The pulleys 15 and 17 'are axially aligned and are rotatably supported on a short shat't which may be the shank of a bolt 1S. The bolt 18 extends through the bores of the pulleys 15 and 17 and through aligned openings in the arms 16 and 14 ot' the bracket 12 and the base plate 3, the head of the bolt being countersunk in respect to the upper face of the base plate 3 and the bolt being` held against displace ment'by means of a nut ,19. which in threaded engagement with the lower end portion of the bolt. lt is to be observed at this'point that the opening in the base plate 3 through which the bolt 18;-y extends is formed in the base plate at the juncture of th'e main portion of the base plate with the prolongation 7 andthe arms 145 and 16 extend underneath the prolongation@ The tightening unit 22 has a bracket 2O which is secured to thennderface oi' the base plate. 3 of the tightening unit 2 by means of the bolt and nut 21. The bracket 2O has an arm 22 which is spaced from the lower face ot the associated base plate 3. The bracket 2Q also; comprises'ian arml 23 spaced from the arm 22 andan arm 24; spaced from the arm 2.3,'. A pulley 2.5 1s disposed between the arm 22 and the adjacent base plate 3; A second pulley 26 is disposed between the arms 22 and 23 and a. third'pulley '27 isfdisposed betiveen'the arms 23` and 24av of the bracket. The pulleys Y25, -25 and 27 are 'rotatably supported on the shank Lota bolt 28 which extends through aligned penings in thebase plate 3 ofthe tightening unit 2, the and 24;.ovffthe'bracket 2O1and' through` the. bores of. th e; pulleys,` 25,

1216.4 2.74. tintenwelt@ eilt" ifiin* threaded engagen'ient witlji the vlower end portion otthebolt 28 and the head vof the bolt is countersunk inrespect to the upper face of the base plate v3 of `the belt tightening unit 2. The opening in the. base plate3 of the belt tightening'unit 2 is at the juncture of the prolongation 7 oi' such base plate with the main portion of the base plate and the arms 22, 23 and 2li extend underneath the prolongation 7 of the associated base plate.

A tightening cable 30 is trained about the pulley 25, then the pulley 15, then the pulley 26 and finally the pulleys 17 and k27 in turn and the tightening units 1 and 2 thus will be adjustably connected with the prolongations 7 of the base plates of the respective tightening-units at the adjacent yends of such plates and with the highest ends. of the enlarged portions 6 of the slots 5 in the side members ot the respective tightening units at the ad jacent ends of such units. Thev lends 31 of a belt then are extended between the sections of the belt gripping uni-ts toward each other and the clamping members 3 oftl the respective beltgripping members are moved to position to clamp the end portions of thebelt firmly yagainst the base plates of the belt gripping members. One end of the cable 30 then may be secured to a fixed support and the other end of the cable 30 is attached to a source of power so that a pull will be exm erted on the cable and the end portions ot the belt will be drawn together and the belt will be stretched or tightened as desired.

The invention contemplates the provision of a novel and eicient coupler tor holding the end. portions of' the belt connected to'- gether Vafter the Abelt has been stretched or tightened so that -the belt tightening units cank be detached from .the belt without permitting loosening of Ythe tightened belt.v

This coupler comprises a hollow body 4or trame which consists of a pairof side members 32 and a pair of end members 33 joined to each other, integrally or otherwise and s0 formed as to produce aspace. within the body which is open at both its upper and' lower endsand decreases uniformly in width from its upper end to its lower end; The sides 32 of the body of the coupler will be reinforced by web structures, such as indicatedat 34 on the outer 'faces thereof. Suchr web` structures also are adapted to serve as handles for the body of Vthe coupler. A wedge-shaped holding member'35 is adapted to fit within the body of the coupler and to cooperate with the side. walls of the latter to,preve nt withdrawal` of the ends ot the belt from the space within the body oft' the coupler when the endsl of the belt have been extended thror'ighfthe body ofthe coupler from the lower endv of the latter between Ythe sde'ftallsb the body oftheicllplelid *lle-J lleldfng manillar T35 The. latta* fis it such length as to have sliding contact at its.

ends with the inner faces 33 of the body of the coupler. The Wedge-shaped holding member 35 decreases in Width from its upper end to its lower end and has laterally extending teeth 35 at its upper end adapted to bite into the end po-rtions of the belt and thus to securely hold the end portions of the belt against slipping from positions between the sides of the holding member 35 and the sides of the body of the coupler when the holding' member 35 is in position to clamp the ends of the belt against the sine walls of the body Vof the coupler as shown to advan tage in Figure 2. It will be observed that any pull on the end portions of the belt7 tending to withdraw such end portions of the belt from the space Within the body of the coupler, will tend to tighten the holding .member 35 in the body of the coupler and that the end portions of the belt thus Will be securely fastened to each other and the belt may be maintained desir-ably taut. The coupler will be disposed on the outside of the belt and therefore will not contact With ulleys, over which the belt may travel.

loreover, the coupled together active por-l tions of the belt do not overlap but may move in the same plane. Therefore no obstructions are provided onthe underside of the belt which would tend to cause undue wear cn the belt or interfere with the move ment of the belt about the periphery of. a pulley.

Obviously, the invention issusceptible of embodiment in forms other than that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and l therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations thereof as vertically. enlarged portion being inclined,

and a clamping member having end portions received in said lateral slots, said clam )ing member having ContactV portions upstan ing from the opposite ends thereof for engaging .with the inclined upper Walls of the verticali ly enlarged portions of said slots, whereby said clamping members Will be forced toward said base Yplate when said contact mem'- bers move toward the shorter ends of the vertically enlarged portions of said slots, said clamping member having longitudinally extending teeth in its lower face, and a bracket secured to the underside oi said base plate, said. bracket having an arm spaced from the underside of said base vplate for cooperating With th-e latter to definev a space for the reception of a pulley, and means for rotatably supporting'the pulley.

WILLIAM ELMER nonnen. 

